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Local execs form Detroit Sports Organizing Corp. to land big events

Detroit Lions president Rod Wood says he feels comfortable about Detroit's chances to host the 2019 or 2020 NFL draft while speaking at the Detroit Economic Club at Ford Field. Video by Carlos Monarrez/DFP

Some of the most influential executives in the Detroit pro sports world announced a new partnership Wednesday aimed at bringing marquee events to downtown Detroit.

Lions team president Rod Wood, Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem and Olympia Entertainment chief executive officer Tom Wilson met at Ford Field to discuss the formation of the Detroit Sports Organizing Corp. The permanent local organizing committee will identify, bid, plan and produce major sporting events in Detroit.

Some of the key events on the horizon that the DSOC is targeting are the NFL draft, the NBA All-Star Game and the NHL All-Star Game. Detroit could host the NFL draft as early as 2019, according to Wood.

“I think the cities that have been really successful in hosting those events on a regular basis,” Wood said during a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club, “have a group like this that is permanently in place so that when an opportunity comes up we’re not starting from scratch, we’re ready to go.”

Wood said the efforts of the DSOC would be similar to those of other successful permanent organizing committees in Indianapolis, Atlanta and Phoenix, which regularly hold big sporting events.

Wood also said the formation of the DSOC was important not only to create synergy among his cohorts but also to show all the various sports leagues and entities that Detroit is organized and serious about hosting big events.

Wilson credited the Pistons’ move from Auburn Hills to Little Caesars Arena downtown as a “unifying force” for the Lions, Red Wings and Tigers.

“We’re all about making a difference in downtown Detroit,” Wilson said. “I think that’s the essence of this commission. Everybody wins when we bring in a Super Bowl, when we bring in an NCAA event, whatever it might happen to be.”

Tellem harkened back his grandfather’s philosophy of cooperation.

“We all do better when we all do better,” Tellem said. “And I believe that fervently in my politics and in business and every negotiation I’ve ever had is when both sides succeed, everyone succeeds. And really that fits us here.”

The NFL draft is likely the first big event the DSOC will organize. Wood said the Lions will have a face-to-face presentation with NFL officials soon. He is optimistic about Detroit hosting either the 2019 or 2020 draft and said he expects the NFL to announce those host cities in the spring.

“I’m feeling good about us being in the running for one of those, so more to follow,” Wood said.

The logistics that would entail hosting the NFL draft are a window into how the DSOC would function to pull together a big event.

“Where would that draft be held?” Wilson said. “Probably at the (Tigers and Red Wings owners) Ilitches’ Fox Theatre. And then we could supplement that with a number of events at Little Caesars Arena. Or if we’re able to get the Super Bowl, we’re able to supplement that with concerts at some of the other venues. So we have the ability to really put on an amazing show.”

The Red Wings are interested in hosting the NHL All-Star Game and likewise would need the help of the Lions and Ford Field to host the entire event.

“We were talking to the NHL the other day about the NHL All-Star Game, with commissioner (Gary) Bettman, who was in for opening night with the Red Wings,” Wilson said. “And he said you’re going to have one as soon as you’re ready to sort of have one we can sit down and talk about it. …

“But we’ll probably use Ford Field with the cooperation of the Lions in order to host these huge fan festivals that they have because Cobo (Hall) may be a little too far away.”

Then there’s the NBA All-Star Game, which Tellem believes is five to 10 years away from coming to LCA. But the game highlighted one off the key challenges facing the DSOC and downtown Detroit.

“One thing that’s come up with our application for the NBA All-Star game,” Tellem said, “is if we get it, one thing they commented on that they would like to see is more hotels built in downtown that are within walking distance of Little Caesars Arena and preferably a five-star hotel.”

One big problem with hotels is that Detroit’s three casino hotels aren’t allowed to be used for NCAA events because of college’s gaming rules. Besides that, there’s a scarcity of land to build hotels near the downtown sports venues.

“We have a little bit of a challenge in having surprisingly not enough vacant land to build a new (hotel) on,” Wood said. “It’s a lot more expensive to retrofit an old building than it is to build a new one.

“We attracted a couple of the boutique hotels like the Shinola Hotel and the (Detroit) Foundation. But what we really need are probably three or four 400- or 500-room hotels to get the kind of infrastructure in place to host some of these big events.”

If nothing else, the DSOC is a start to tackling those big challenges while trying to land some of the sports world’s biggest events.

“I think the unity of the organization, the fan bases, the clout that we have in the city and of course the ability we have to share each other’s venues,” Wilson said of the DSOC’s strengths. “So no matter what the event is, typically they’re getting so big now you can’t do it just in a stadium or just in a ballpark or just in an arena. You need a little bit of everything, including theaters. And so having them all together helps a lot.”